Combined shipping and display container



Oct. 4, 1949. B. v. DUBINER COMBINED SHIPPING AND DISPLAY CONTAINER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 9, 1945 F. l:- 2 Bed v. Dubmer A ttorrlc'y Oct. 4, 1949. B. v. DUBINER COMBINED SHIPPING AND DISPLAY CONTAINER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 nhlwll-nllu Il k/IIUI ll- Filed April 9, 1945 FIE 3 l/ Uubincr /nventor fl'l'tornegl Patented Oct. '4, i949 2,483,538 COMBINED SHIPPING. AND DISPLAY CONTAINER "may Vivian niiuner. Toronto. Ontario, 1 Application April a, 1m, sol-m No. 5:47.351

, In Qanada December 2. 1944 2 clai (c1. zoo-45.19)

This invention relates to a novel, combined shipping and display container and is particularly directed to providing an inexpensive and easily constructed, neat and attractive container in which wares can be shipped and which can be used for displaying the wares in a store and/or for storing them in the home.

One of the primary objects of this invention is to provide a novel, combined shipping and display container which is easily and inexpensively manufactured from readily available materials, which is useful. and which is neat and attractive in appearance.

A further object of the invention is to provide a container in which wares can be shipped and displayed, and which subsequently can be used for storing and displaying the wares in the home,

A still further object of the invention is to provide a container which, when used for shipping and displaying children's toys, can itself be used as a useful part of the playthings.

The shipping and display container of igie present invention comprises, in general, a box-=- like container formed with at least one closable opening in the front panel, means for supporting said container, and an insert for said container foldable into at least one shelf, said insert being insertable into said container between the front and rear panels, and means for maintaining said shelf in spaced apart, approximately parallel relationship to the bottom and top of said container.

An understanding of the manner in which the above and other objects of the invention are attained may be had from the following description, referencebeing made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the front of a combined shipping and display container embodying the invention;

adjacent to an end of the container; For convenience in shipping, the doors may be secured in closed position, such as by a piece of adhesive papglr or by incompletelycutting them out of the Each door is also formed with a tab l 6 which is partially died out of the material forming the Figure 2 is a perspective view of the rear of the container;

Figure 3 is an unfolded, top plan view of the shelf forming insert; and

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the insert folded into the position it assumes when inserted into the container.

Like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the specification and drawings.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral III indicates a standard type, knock-down container, preferably of the end opening type and formed of paper board. The container is formed with a front panel II, a rear panel I2 and tuck-in ends l3 and II.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figure 1, the front panel II is formed with two doors I5, each door being formed by cutting along three sides and scoring along one side so that each door is hingedly secured to the panel along a scored line door in a manner readily capable of being folded back on itself to form anoutstanding tab which can be gripped by the thumb and forefinger to open and close the door. 1

One or more additional tabs I! are died out of one of the edges of the container. The tabs l1 are preferably formed so that they fold vertically upwards along a scored line in alignment with the rear wall 52.

A stand or easel i8 is died out of the rear wall of the container, being foldable along a scored line is to assume a position at right angles to the rear wall.

A tab 28 is died out of the rear wall, being formed preferably with a V-shaped notch in the centre of the periphery adapted to engage a correspondingly shaped recess in the easel and thereby to hold the easel firmly in fixed position when the easel is in its container supporting position.

The shelf forming insert illustrated in. Figures 3 and 4 is formed from a relatively stifi sheet of Paper board, being died and scored in a manner described in detail hereinafter folded and inserted into the The insertis cut from a sheet of relatively stiflf paper board with a minimum waste of material, the main body of the sheet being of substantially rectangular shape of a width approximately that of the inside length of the container. Commencing at the right side of Figure 3,. the sheet and 32 to fit snugly against the rear panel of' the container.

The underside 33 of the upper top shelf 22 is formed by scoring along the lines 32 and 34. The piece is defined by the score lines 34 and 35 forms a front face or rim for the top shelf 22. The piece 33 terminates in end portions 3! and 38 which are foldable along scored lines 42 and 4| v H 2,483,533 f UNITED mm" PATENT omoo 25, 25, 21 and '28 accuse respectively to rest on the lower shelf 23 and so aid the member 31 in supporting the top shelf 22. The piece 38 also terminates in end portions 39 and All which are foldable along the scored lines 43 and 44 respectively to a position at right angles to the piece 38 and assume a position, as a spacer, between the supporting members 31 and 38 and the top shelf 22.

The top shelf 22 is defined by the scored lines 35 and 45, being foldable along those lines to assume a substantially horizontal position in the container and is supported firmly in this position by the members 31', 33, 36, 31, 38, 39 and 40.

The piece 46, defined by the score line 45, is foldable along that line at rightangles to the shelf 22 to assume a osition fitting snugly against the rear panel of the container and extending to the top'thereof.

In laying out the insert, the various parts are died and scored to provide the firmest possible support for the shelves, having regard to the number of shelves desired. The width of the main body of the insert is approximately the same as the inside length of the container and considering the width of the insert to be the length of the shelves and the supporting members, each part is designed to fit snugly into the container with the shelves 22 and 23 being of a width approximately equal to the inside distance between the front and rear panels of the container.

As a preferred embodiment, each shelf is preferably formed with one or more small died out portions 50 for the purpose of receiving a portion of the peripheries of wares, such as plates. saucers and the like, which can be stood safely on the shelves for display purposes.

In the manufacture of the container and insert, the container is preferably of a standard,

knock-down, end opening type which can be flat tened out to conserve shipping and storage space. This container is formed with at least one closable opening in the front panel and is provided with supporting rn'eans integral with the rear panel, such as a stand or easel. The insert may be formed out of a separate sheet of the same material and inserted into the container at the time of packing the wares for shipment.

I have found that the present container has. many advantages over containers of the prior art. 'It can be manufactured inexpensively of readily available material. In use, it serves a dual purpose in that wares can be packed for shipment as in any other type of container, but in stores it can be used for displaying the wares to their best advantage. In using the container for edible commodities, the front panel can be readily covered with transparent material which protects the contents from foreign matter and which does not obstruct the display of the contents.

The container is also useful subsequently as a child's plaything such as for storing dolls dishes andlike toys, being capable of being hung from the wall by the tabs H or being supported by the stand or easel l8.

It will be understood, of course, that modifications may be made in the preferred embodiment of the invention described and illustrated herein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. For example, the container may be designed with other forms of closable openings and supporting means and the insert may be designed to provide more or less than two shelves and the supp rtin memhere may be subiect to re-arransement.

What I claim as new'and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a combined shipping and display container having front, rear, top, bottom and end the container, lateral extensions on the upper shelf foldable along scored lines to contact the lower shelf and support the upper shelf in a horizontal position in cooperation with the spacer when the upper shelf is folded parallel to the lower shelf, the top shelf being formed of two pieces of material folded along scored lines into spaced parallel superimposed relation, the top piece having an extension foldable along a scored line and adapted to fit snugly against the rear panel and engage against the top panel of the container when the shelf forming insert is placed in the container in its folded condition.

2. In a combined shipping and display container having front, rear, top, bottom and end panels and at least one door in the front panel giving access to the interior thereof, a shelf forming insert for said container formed of a single sheet of material foldable along scored lines to form an upper and lower shelf, a spacer between said shelves serving as a spacer and as a support for the upper shelf, extensions on the lower shelf foldable along scored lines to form a support for the bottom shelf when inserted in the container, lateral extensions on the upper shelf foldable along scored lines to contact the lower shelf and support the upper shelf in a horizontal position in cooperation with the spacer when the upper shelf is folded parallel to the lower shelf, the top shelf being formed of two pieces of material folded along spaced parallel scored lines into spaced parallel superimposed relation, to form the upper shelf and a front face therefor, the front face forming portion having lateral extensions which are foldable against the ends of the shelf and are adapted to be engaged between said ends and the end panels of the container, the top piece having an extension foldable along a scored line and adapted to fit snugly against the rear panel and engage against the top panel of the container when the shelf forming insert is placed in the container in its folded condition.

BETTY VIVIAN DUBINER.

REFERENCES cr'rEn The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,573,190 Raizen Feb. 16, 1926 1,651,536 Monarque Dec. 6, 1927 1,670,498 Einson May 22, 1928 1,673,975 Feigelman June 19, 1928 1,873,085 Warner Aug. 23, 1932 2,067,749 Zimmerman et al. Jan. 12, 1937 2,150,743 Mancuso Mar. 14, 1939 2,214,380 Nisbet Sept. 10, 1940' 2,225,376 Morton, Jr Dec. 17, 1940 2,314,721 Lowenstein Mar. 23, 1943 

